Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 143

Devanagari script

वायुपानरता जाता अंबुपानादनंतरम् । कालक्रमेण महता बभूव गिरिजा सती । एकांगुष्ठेन च तदा दधार च निजं वपुः

Transliteration

vāyupānaratā jātā aṃbupānādanaṃtaram | kālakrameṇa mahatā babhūva girijā satī | ekāṃguṣṭhena ca tadā dadhāra ca nijaṃ vapuḥ

Translation

Sau khi sống chỉ nhờ uống nước, Satī—Girijā—lại chuyên tâm sống bằng khí trời mà thôi. Trải qua thời gian dài, nàng đã nâng giữ thân mình chỉ bằng một ngón chân, bền chí không lay chuyển.

Word by Word

• वायुपानरता: devoted to drinking air (living on air)
• वायुपानरता: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वायु + पान + रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular feminine

• जाता: became
• जाता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Past passive participle

• अम्बुपानात्: after (giving up) water-drinking / from water-intake
• अम्बुपानात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बु + पान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Ablative singular

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Sambandha (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-एकवचन (adverbial accusative)

• कालक्रमेण: by the course of time
• कालक्रमेण: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल + क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• महता: great/long
• महता: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; agreeing with कालक्रमेण

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्ष-भूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Perfect, 3rd person singular

• गिरिजा: Girijā (daughter of the mountain)
• गिरिजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि + जा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (name/epithet)

• सती: Satī
• सती: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (proper name/epithet)

• एकाङ्गुष्ठेन: with one thumb
• एकाङ्गुष्ठेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + अङ्गुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• दधार: held/sustained
• दधार: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्ष-भूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Perfect, 3rd person singular (Parasmaipada)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• निजम्: her own
• निजम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular (agreeing with वपुः)

• वपुः: body
• वपुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra-tapas-kṣetra (Girijā-yoga-sthiti)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Over long time, Girijā lives on air; she stands or sustains herself on a single toe, body poised like a flame, unwavering amid Himalayan winds.

Characters & Entities

• Girijā (Pārvatī)
• Satī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unshakeable resolve and self-restraint (tapas) are portrayed as the inner power that leads to divine attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting belongs to the Kedāra-khaṇḍa, associated with the Kedāranātha sacred geography of the Himalaya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite is prescribed; the verse emphasizes ascetic discipline—progressing from water-subsistence to air-subsistence.